Reply to those of you with gravel driveways -- do you like it? What are the pros and cons?

Forum Index » Home Improvement, Design, and Decorating

Reply to "those of you with gravel driveways -- do you like it? What are the pros and cons?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]I've had gravel driveways in various houses for 50+ years. They aren't permeable. The gravel gets compacted and water runs off. Weeds do happen; Roundup or strong vinegar fixes that without worrying about overspray.

They're really cheap to build and maintain. Just get a gravel dump once a decade or so for a few hundred bucks. The last couple decades a neighbor and I went in on the dump - half the cost is them just showing up with the load.

You need a barrier to contain the gravel. I'm using old railroad ties currently. They're 30+ years old and are about ready to be replaced. My father used vertical bricks.

Gravel glazes but not as dangerously as pavement. It's really tough to shovel snow off gravel, though. Snowblowers and plows don't work. I skim mine and the sun on the exposed bits of rocks encourages melting. I pile the skimmed snow on the driveway edge (inside the railroad tie barrier) so I can spread out again the rocks I shoveled up by accident. We don't get so much snow it's a real problem here.

Gravel driveways are tough on bare feet unless the bare feet are tough. When I was a kid it wasn't a problem. I keep outdoor slippers by my door now. (Linkletter was right about old age!)

Once upon a time, my (now) ex clerked for a federal judge; he had a gravel driveway to alert his dobies anytime anyone showed up. The rest of his property had a tall, effective fence. And some bad guys with a grudge do show up at federal judges' homes after they get out. (He also never sat in a restaurant with his back to the door. That lifetime tenure comes with risks.)[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics